Well, they’re here – Milwaukee has announced their new line of M18 Fuel brushless cordless nailers!

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This is pretty big news, especially since these new Milwaukee Fuel nailers look to be far more compact than any other cordless nailer currently on the market.

This launch includes 4 different nailer sizes and styles:

M18 Fuel 18 Ga Brad Nailer (2740)

M18 Fuel 16 Ga Straight Finish Nailer (2741)

M18 Fuel 16 Ga Angled Finish Nailer (2742)

M18 Fuel 15 Ga Angled Finish Nailer (2743)

All 4 of the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless nailers are finish nailers. We asked Milwaukee about whether additional nailers would be coming down the pipeline, such as a pin nailer, framing nailer, or crown stapler, but they were unable to share their plans with us.

We’ve got lots of questions about these nailers that will hopefully be answered in coming weeks. How do these nailers work, and what makes them more faster and more powerful than current offerings?

All of the nailers will be available as compact kits (274X-21CT) and bare tools (274X-20). The kits come with the nailer, soft carrying case, charger, and 2.0Ah Li-ion battery pack.

What’s so Special About These Nailers?

The new M18 FUEL Finish Nailers are the first cordless solutions on the market with the power to consistently seat nails sub-flush to hardwood surfaces with no ramp-up time and no gas cartridges.

Milwaukee says that the new nailers offer best-in-class power, and that the nailers also offer a balanced and ergonomic design featuring reduced size and tool length, which should contribute to a better user experience.

They even go so far to say that the user will also experience a better balance, feel and overall performance than competitive tools on the market today.

In other words, Milwaukee is saying that their new M18 Fuel brushless cordless nailers are better than any other cordless nailers currently on the market.

Judging by the looks of their sizing, it’s hard to argue with any better balance and ergonomics claims Milwaukee is making.

To sum it up, the new nailers offer more power, no ramp-up time, better balance and feel? They also require lower maintenance compared to gas cartridge nailers.

Milwaukee 2740 M18 Fuel Brad Nailer

18 gauge brad nailer

5/8″ – 2-1/8″ nail sizes

110 nails magazine capacity

Can drive 1200 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge

Sequential and contact actuation modes

Dry-fire lockout

LED worklight

Adjustable belt hook

2740-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery

2740-20 bare tool

Milwaukee 2741 M18 Fuel Straight Finish Nailer

16 gauge straight finish nailer

3/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes

110 nails magazine capacity

Can drive 800 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge

Sequential and contact actuation modes

Dry-Fire lockout

LED worklight

Adjustable belt hook

2741-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery

2741-20 bare tool

Milwaukee 2742 M18 Fuel 16 Ga Angled Finish Nailer

16 gauge angled finish nailer

1-1/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes

110 nails magazine capacity

Can drive 800 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge

Sequential and contact actuation modes

Dry-Fire lockout

LED worklight

Adjustable belt hook

2742-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery

2742-20 bare tool

Milwaukee 2743 M18 Fuel 15 Ga Angled Finish Nailer

15 gauge angled finish nailer

1-1/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes

110 nails magazine capacity

Can drive 700 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge

Sequential and contact actuation modes

Dry-Fire lockout

LED worklight

Adjustable belt hook

2743-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery

2743-20 bare tool

First Thoughts

But how do these nailers compare to air-powered nailers? This is exactly what we asked Milwaukee, and are waiting to hear back. Or we’ll be able to answer it ourselves once the new nailers hit the market and we’re able to get our hands on test samples.

Are they as fast as pneumatic nailers?

How much do they weigh?

As I wrote in my preview of the new Porter Cable cordless nailers, those nailers weigh over 5 lbs without a battery pack, and likely over 6 lbs with a battery. Air nailers weigh half as much.

Milwaukee’s focus seems to be on balance and power, but mention of there not being any ramp up suggests speedy application times.

It’ll be interesting to see how Milwaukee’s new M18 Fuel cordless nailers compare to other cordless nailers on the market, pneumatic nailers, and even gas cartridge nailers.

It sounds like they compare very favorably against existing cordless solutions. All 4 options are quite pricey, at around $349 for the bare tools, and $399 for the kits, but it looks like Milwaukee poured a lot of time and effort into getting the nailers just right.

And so that you don’t have to scroll up too far, here’s another look at the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel 15 gauge angled finish nailer:

The mass and weight distribution is significantly different. But does that mean better? Some head to head comparisons will definitely be in order.

We know a lot of readers have been very eagerly waiting for Milwaukee to come out with cordless nailers. Now that these nailers are here, what do you think – are they everything you have been hoping for?

Will you be buying any of the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel brushless nailers once they come out?

I was going to say it looked like the milwaukee model was smaller than the dewalt offering but I’d need to see a side by side with weights listed. Putting it against that ridgid tool – I see alot of similarity. Not at all surprised.

can’t wait to see a side by side comparo. I just about bought a dewalt one a few times.

Side question – Would it be feasible for a company to make one of these nailers with different removeable striker/holder combinations. IE one handle/motor/etc – does brads, 16 ga straight, angled, and maybe even up to 14ga. Then separate handle/motor etc – does framing, roofing etc with again removeable front ends.

yes but they’d sell me 3 accessories for said tool. which would have to be made by them etc.

In other words instead of buying some 900 ish dollars to have brads, and 2 16ga nailers (angled and straight) – I could spend say 300 ish + another 250 in accessories for about 550 or so and have the same abilities.

The base tool might have 4 electronic modes, a la One-Key, or different brands’ multi-speed impact drivers, each for a different nailer size. This would be needed to control the power for different nail gauges and maybe also for depth setting adjustments.

I really want to see one of these in action. These nailers could temp me into adding another battery platform to my tool collection if their performance pans out. The one thing that is disappointing about the kits though, for me, is the soft tool case. I really want to see tool kits in stackable uniform size containers that will help keep some semblance of organization, instead of being dumped in a pile of other bags on a shelf or in the back of the truck.

I’ll be interested to hear or see how much these weigh… Additionally, I don’t quite get the “balance” claim. The unit configuration (same as Ridgid and Ryobi) where the motor sits in front of the handle and right on the magazine make these units very front heavy and in result strain on your wrist. This is not the definition of “balanced” to me… Add a full clip of fasteners in the magazine and you get even more weight. Balance plays a huge role in the comfort of the tool when using. Am I missing something here with the Milwaukee, Ridgid and Ryobi units??? Anyone have any thoughts on this? Stuart?

If you had ever tried the Makita brad nailer (xnb01z), you would understand how balance could affect the attitude of how the tool performs. That nail gun feels like you are dragging around a long hose behind it when you use it. A well balanced nail gun can reduce operator fatigue.

JMG, agree and I have used the Maita unit.. Its massive and heavy. But more to my point is that if you hold the Ridgid or Ryobi (and assuming the Milwaukee unit) in front of you (application – door or window trim among others), the weight of the unit pulls away from you and drags the nose and magazine down because of the configuration (motor in front of the handle). Its very uncomfortable.

I have not tried the Rigid or Ryobi guns and will have to take your word on them. I do have three of the old model Dewalt finish guns, though, and never noticed any issues like you describe. Possibly due to the weight of the old pod style batteries countering the motor.

The Milwaukee site has product pages for all the nailers. The 15 and 16 gauge are listed at 6.3 lbs and the 18 gauge brad nailer has no weight listed. There is no mention as to whether this includes the 2.0 AH weight.

I was waiting on these until I saw the price. $700 for two nailers and is just too high. I am a DIY’er that like to use pro level tools, but this is one place I will have to get something a bit less expensive.

Exactly, I down sized recently to only Milwaukee M18 tools. They all work great and I only have one battery type to deal with. The drill driver combo, charger and two batteries was under $200.

The 18ga brad nailer is listed on a couple of sites for $329 (bare tool) The Ryobi is $129 (bare tool) but I don’ t have any Ryobi batteries. Home Depot has a deal going, buy two tools, get a battery and charger free. So for around $260 I could get a nailer, some other tool I probably don’t need, only one battery, and a charger I don’t have room for.
My wish is for a universal battery but I know that will never happen.
Very frustrating.

At $350, no. At a street price of $250 for the bare tool, I’ll consider it if it’s lighter than the competition. At $175 for the bare tool, I’m in! This is great for those quick punch jobs where I don’t want to haul the compressor up 2 flights. I’ve been waiting for the right combination of size, weight and price and with a newly acquired stash of M18, this would be a welcome addition.

Entry pricing for their “groundbreaking” stuff is always gonna be high at first, they’re trying to market the new advantages like a luxury good.
Wait a season and these will probably drop in price to meet some holiday lineup or a carpentry centric bundle.

True, but the Ridgid has been out for a bit and is still at 229, I cant see the Milwaukee getting down to that price. *Maybe* 249, unless you can do something like the tiered promo they recently had.

Have to wait and see if they will be worth the premium over the AirStrikes that have been out for a decent amount of time (also which Ive never seen any sales on…they do a “deal” on 2 of them occasionally but the discount isnt all that great).

It wouldn’t matter what they priced it at, people will always want it cheaper. If it is truly the best cordless nailer on the market, the price is justified. It’s right in line with the Senco, which seems to have the claim as current best.

Us old retired guys probably won’t be buying one of these unless one of my old Paslode’s bites the dust – but I can see my ex compatriots trying them out. They have already started buying a few M18 Force Logic tools – so they have the batteries and chargers to accommodate the bare tools. They have not be enamored with the Makita (their primary 18V platform) cordless nailers so far – so I’m sure that they have hopes for Milwaukee.

I have tried the Dewalt cordless framer and liked it a lot. To me they have more credibility in this area because they own Bostitch which has always been top notch for pneumatics. The new Milwaukee guns do look nice and small. Very curious to see how they perform.

What are we calling the system that drives these? “mechanical-air driven”?

I assume that these are very similar in technology to the other TTI built Ryobi and Ridgid nailers that have an onboard compressor/motor and air chamber. So i wonder about the life cycle of the o rings and various other air seals that have to stay intact for this unit to operate reliably for so many years.

Porter Cable had a battery powered finish nailer 10 years ago that had an onboard mini air compressor. it was recalled and discontinued because of over pressuring and blowing out o rings and seals.

I’d rather buy the pure mechanical driven nailers like Dewalt. I’d trust that the mechanical flywheel system would be more durable over time. While the Ryobl, Ridgid and milwaukee, i’d be concerned about worn out o rings and over time.

Don’t like the design Dewalt and Porter Cables design is so much better i’ve used ridgids and makita which are very similar to Milwaukee’s and the feel bulky and off balance I think Dewalt is going to run away with this tool nice try Milwaukee but you blew it Dewalt hit it right out of the park with their design Porter Cable too

…so you’re telling Milwaukee they lost before the tool is even out yet? Sounds like some DeWalt/Porter Cable fanboyism going on here. What is it that you like so much more about the DeWalt nailers, and how can you tell that Milwaukee’s design doesn’t incorporate a comparable feature?

Is it just by looking at the frame of the tool and guessing at how it will be balanced? Because there’s no way to tell exactly what the mass distribution actually is without having it in hand.

Well you can just wait and get them used or reconditioned since you are unwilling to spend money to be an early adopter. Their pricing is in line Senco nailers, which currently have the title of best cordless nailer. If Milwaukee’s performance lives up to their claims, they are priced appropriately for a new product.

The brad nailer is straight not angled. The magazine on the 15 gauge sticks out for capacity and doesn’t affect the corners because it is coming back towards you. It can easily fit into any 90 degree corner without hitting the wall. They are no different than other common nailer designs in that regard. I don’t understand your point?

I like the look of these so far, very curious to see how they feel and perform. As far as cost goes, the FUEL products sell at a premium price, for a premium product. I have many FUEL products and am pleased with all of them. In my opinion, I will pay the price for a tool that performs well. With these being introduced right before the new product symposium I’ll be curious to see what new tools will be announced there. Maybe a FUEL drywall screwgun?

While I love the FUEL in most tools, Im not quite sure what FUEL gives you with a cordless nailer, other than more fasteners driven between charges.

I dont think its a matter of more power from a brushless motor…..it requires only so much to push a nail into something. Although I suppose this could increase the thickness of material it will work with but you are still limited based on the length of fastener anyway.

Heavy compared to air guns, but if you count the weight of dragging a hose around, they are comparable. There is definitely a tradeoff with both types. The fuel brushless motors are definitely a big improvement in size/weight/power ratios as well as longevity of battery life and motor. I would guess even small improvements in these areas help this to deliver better performance, but their claims of no ramp up time have yet to be put to the test.

Gonna take a good look at those angled finish nailers. Would be good for those jobs where only a handful of nails are required. Just grab the cordless and you’re done instead of jacking around with the compressor and hoses.

I own most of the FUEL line of tools you’d see out in the field for an industrial/commercial carpenter, saws,drills, rotaries and even cualking guns, ended up grabbing a Senco Fusion to fill that gap in my lineup 3 months ago. Now I’m kicking myself for dropping that money for their kit when I could have grabbed the bare tool from Milwaukee when it came out and already own tons of chargers and batteries. For the premium that Milwaukee charges, its worth the cost. I’ve had other tools fail and had to deal with the companies bs about abuse, maintenance and LIMITED warranties. I send my Milwaukees off if they’re giving me trouble and they fix them and sendum back, five years no worries, and no bs so far. Senco and ryobi cant match that. As far as cost goes, the wages some of my guys are getting vs increased productivity and less downtime more than makes up for it in a couple of days, if not hours. If you’re playing in the pro leagues and you have to produce, not many of the DIY grade tools are gonna be able to handle it. Milwaukee has so far.

Just get the new Milwaukee guns and sell the Senco. I think your point about warranty is important, because Senco is absolutely terrible in this respect. They don’t fix them, and don’t even offer parts to do so yourself. I am not a professional in terms of building trades, but find that most of the Milwaukee tools provide a big improvement over store brands and brands like Ryobi. I use my tools for farm and production garden work, as well as making some money woodworking in the offseason. The warranty and local repair centers make the investment worth it to me. I am not brand blind, but definitely brand loyal. If battery systems were compatible I would choose other brands products more often, but am pretty happy with Milwaukee’s products for the most part. I don’t like the fact they have no intention of being a “me too” tool brand, since when it comes to cordless tools the battery platforms are limiting.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I bought the Senco even after hearing about their warranty issues becuase they are still rated as best overall. Also their 2 year “questionable” warranty vs Milwaukee’s 5 year, is no contest. I hope Milwaukee has the same no delay nailing action, and can sink a 2 1/2 into oak. If they can, they will definitely be taking the crown and my money.

I want to give them a go . ATM , I have a Paslode 16ga. finish nailer , I’m saddled with gas cartridges and a nicad battery , not to mention a battery a battery platform I no longer want to support . Maybe they have cracked the feed relibility issues that bedevil angle nailers .

If you need a finish nailer, a brad nailer just won’t do. As for the finish nailer, I think that the straight finish nailer and 15 gauge angled nailer might be more popular, but there wouldn’t be a 16 gauge angled finish nailer if Milwaukee didn’t think there was demand for one.

Do you anticipating needing to use a finish nailer in corners or potentially tight spaces? If not, then a straight nailer might be better.

I don’t think I would use these pricey nailers as a way to explore my nailer preferences.

For less than the price of just 1 of these nailers, you could pick up a small compressor and nailer kit to learn your preferences. You’d save money, vs. buying the wrong Fuel nailer.

That all said, I would try to get my hands on the brad nailer and 15 gauge angled finish nailer, as those two would cover most of my personal needs.

Milwaukee offers a five year warranty because their tools constantly break and they want people to keep buying their products. Of the big three we get the most milwaukee in for repair by and large and when I visit the service center twice a week it is always busy with people bringing in and picking up multiple broken tools whereas the other two are always empty. How’s that for downtime? I guess I can’t complain because we do lots of repairs and milwaukee is the bulk of non-warranty work that we do. Also it’s funny to ready about people’s perception of expense; they want something good, a 5 year warranty AND they want it cheap. God bless America.

I highly doubt that. Ive put most of my tools through some seriously torturous work drilling hundreds of holes in a single day(tens of thousands in my drills lifetime), cutting hundreds of crosscut 2×4’s and ripping plywood, cases of quart size tubes of psl poly not to mention many thousands of fasteners with my impacts and holes in concrete with my rotarys. If it was the cheap junk with lots of problems you claim them to be, I dont think my tools would hold up for the years of abuse I put them through. Sure, I’ve had to take them in for service, but I stick with them becuase they hold up and perform under the pressure and they service them mostly without question inside their warranty limit. I’ve actually used and abused these tools in the field, I know what they’re capable of. I’m sure you see more Milwaukee being serviced because more people buy them and are willing to pay to get them back to work.

You doubt my experience, ok. I’ve got no dog in this race but we were laughing about it again today when there were 5 people in front of me with broken tools. One guy last week had a crate full of broken tools. I’m glad they’ve worked for you but as a whole they are down there in quality as far as professional tools are concerned (not counting pc, ryobi, ridgid as professional tools). It’s baffling how people are so loyal but hey it’s that red kool aid.

I’m more doubting about why the tools are there. Who knows the levels of work that they were put through or the misuse or abuse. From my experience with the m18 FUEL line of tools, I’ve use them for years every weekday and some weekends, for 10 to 12 hours a day and they hold up. Loyalty is earned. Plus, even when these tools fail they fixem and sendum back so far without question for FIVE years. Only hilti and bosch can match that, and they are even more expensive than Milwaukee. So I’m not seeing how exactly they can not be the best in their price class. Please enlighten me to a better option as far as selection,power and warranty.

Just sharing our experience. If reliability and durability in a professional setting are desired there are better options as I mentioned. We are not complaining but rather thankful for all the business because, after all, milwaukee comprises the majority of our repairs and margins are highest.

Please, list the “better” options. Hilti has same length warranty (plus their joke of a 2 year vip program), loses on price point and selection. Ridgid is a hassle to use their warranty (home depot customer service needs to step up their game) loses on selection as well. Metabo is imported same tier quality, loses on price point,warranty and selection. I’d really like to know of the better options that dont have me moving to multiple battery platforms to have the tools I need.

You sound silly when you compare Hilti(quality) to Ridgid or Milwaukee. Even sillier when you declare Metabo to be inferior to Milwaukee. Even Metabo’s lowest performing lithium powered 3/8″ chucked drill presents strong competition to Milwaukee’s top-of-the-line Fuel. Comparing Metabo’s top shelf drills, with the new HD batteries especially, to Milwaukee-or any brand really-is an exercise in futility. Metabo is better. Actually, two exceptions come to mind:
1)Mafell has some new drills that are as good as Metabo. Of course, they are manufactured for Mafell by Metabo and are just rebranded from the current Metabo lineup. But you may like them more, since they are red.
2)Hilti drills, though not as powerful or packed with features and versatility as Metabo, are at least as durable.

Of course, Fein and Panasonic and Festool sell drills better than Milwaukee. Let’s just ignore that pesky detail.

And though people ‘loyal’ to tti rarely admit it, Makita is, based on facts and history, the ‘better’ company for ‘professionals’ in the US market. With literally only a few exceptions, Makita sells a huge variety of tools that offer top performance and value, and they do so CONSISTENTLY, for the last 25 or 30 years at least. For ‘professionals’ especially. Their jobsite table and miter saws are tough to beat. And no Milwaukee loyalist can admit it, but the iconic reciprocating saw crown is now shared by Makita’s AVT, unless you get your hands on a Hilti.

BTW, if customer service is what you’re after, Festool is the leader. Overall quality that includes comfort/vibration as well as performance and power-Bosch. Comparing Mafell/Metabo/Fein to Milwaukee is like comparing Hazet to Craftsman or Mercedes-Benz to Dodge. Obviously Hilti SDS hammers, any of their dozens of models, are better than Milwaukee. Obviously Metabo grinders are waaay better than old Milwaukee. Also, Metabo sells some very excellent air compressors and nailers/bradders/pinners/staplers, though they are not widely available in the US. The obvious company there for US market is Hitachi, an all too often overlooked brand with many gems actually.

Milwaukee is the best at…marketing. I swear “FUEL” is stamped on some people’s brainstems. Strangely enough it seems to be the people most likely to spew vitriol about ‘the Chinese’. Which is weird cuz Hong Kong isn’t even in Wisconsin.
Milwaukee’s REAL competition is the lumbering giant DeWALT. Yellow or red both sell some pretty nice tools as well as some frankly garbage quality imposters, though it’s a hard argument to make that either is the ‘best’ from an end-user POV.
Personally, I’m not a loyalist. On good days, a realist. Sometimes it seems I’m a speculative optimist- hopefully(I think).
The best tool is the one that works, though I also hear good things about the tool that made Ænima. The cracker says, “Polly wants a (made in USA)!”

I never did say made in USA only. In fact I already knew where they were made. Ill take a dodge over a Mercedes any day for the price point your crazy if you think dodge diesals can’t out pull whatever Mercedes truck options are. Imports from Europe are more money than they are worth. I’ve seeh Hilti impacts and rotaries fail out here before. Like I said price point. Investment vs return can’t justify the price point on hilti v metabo . No tool they make is %50 or even %25 better than the comparable milwaukee tool, not on the high end. You may have an argument for makita . Gonna have to see some makita vs Milwaukee action out here someday.I think some one needs to do some real world torture to failure test including cost per work hour, on all these brands the gap may be smaller than we think. And may come down to warranty alone. Gonna end up being ryobi and shut us all up!

That’s exactly why I typically avoid reading comments in any power tool related post here, or anywhere else for that matter. It inevitably turns into a cola war (for those not old enough to understand that, look it up) and degrades into a pissing contest quickly. I can’t think of a single post where that hasn’t happened.

Brought one last week.
It’s shit. As a builder you need to be able to fire the pin gun in difficult spots and above your head. And along the arch and skirts.
With this pin gun you have to push on the gun with all your weight behind it just so it sinks the pin 2mm deep. Completely shit house if you are pinning off above your head or anywhere else but at wrist level or in to the floor. So yeah waste of money should have gone air

Finally somebody tells the truth. I just bought this and I have hung a door and did some skirtings. I had spend an hour punching all the nails in that didn’t go in. If you hold on slightest angle it won’t sink in. So I’m going to return it and get paslode. Should have never bought this gun. Rubbish.